


Job Requirements

by Fedora



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 08:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11158161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fedora/pseuds/Fedora
Summary: An interlude between interviews for the recently open position of Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute.





	Job Requirements

Elias was taking probably a bit too much pleasure in watching the latest applicant for Archivist twitch. It was only fair, he reasoned, after all he had to be down here, where he'd had to hire outside cleaning staff to clean up Gertrude's blood because the Institute's full time staff refused to enter an unstaffed Archive, where he could sometimes hear a low indistinct murmuring, where he felt watched like a grubby child in a museum; why shouldn't he conduct the interviews for the new Archivist in the Archives? They'd have to get used to it eventually anyway.

 

He hadn't even read the name at the top of the CV; the applicant was from outside the Institute. He'd walked in with a swagger, well aware of their reputation (and feeling himself above it), but ambitious and sure that the title of Head Archivist at his age would dispel the stigma of working for the _Magnus_ _Institute_ once he'd left. Elias didn't think of himself as a petty man, but he did take time to enjoy the little things in life. Each of the applicant's twitches was a delightful little thing.

 

By the time the 30 minute interview was finished the applicant was a wreck. He tried to look over his shoulder every few seconds and nearly sprinted up the stairs. Elias sighed. It left him with the eternal problem with staffing the upper levels of the Institute, qualified personal from outside the Institute couldn't handle it and qualified staff from inside the Institute had too many other... obligations once they had been around long enough to handle it.

 

 

“Elias? Rosie said you had some time free before your next interview?” Johnathan Sims poked his head in the door to the front room of the Archive where the interviews were being conducted; Gertrude's office was dark behind Elias, more tomb than work space. “Richard wanted your opinion on these research requests.”

 

Elias took the papers and studied John out of corner of his eye. Sims was one of their better researchers, not entirely comfortable with computers, but adept at tracking a narrative through many different primary sources and constructing it into a coherent whole. He would throw himself at an idea and not let go unless he was either satisfied or ran out of material. This was not always a virtue.

 

“Did Richard need a response right away?” John had opened two bound volumes of newsprint, Elias was not close enough to read the name of the publisher.

 

“What? Oh, yes.” John looked to Gertrude's office, his face bright red. “Bertie is having a meeting in our office and I thought I'd just do some of my work here...”

 

“I see.” It was most likely the best option. John was high strung and Filbert had a short fuse; he needed to look into separating them again. “You're welcome until the next interview or until you need a break from the atmosphere.”

 

“I'll try to be quick when the next applicant comes in then. I've always liked the Archives. They're very peaceful.”

 

John's head was already bent to his work, and he didn't see Elias's mouth drop open. The Archives were peaceful as an abandoned dungeon and just as welcoming, but John scribbled notes with less care than if he were outside in the sun. Outside he may have worried about wind. Aside from Gertrude herself, Elias hadn't heard of anyone who hadn't been at least a little uneasy in the Archives; Martin Blackwood still wouldn't enter them unless he was told to directly.

 

Instead of reading through Richard's notes, Elias watched John. There wasn't a twitch. He turned pages, took notes, and muttered to himself, but didn't show any signs of nervousness. He didn't even notice Elias watching him.

 

“John?”

 

“Oh. Is it time already?”

 

“Have you thought of applying for the Archivist position?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Martin, as always, is in possession of the self preservation instinct; he wouldn't go into the Archives if he didn't need to.
> 
> And this has to do with some musings on what exactly made Jonathan qualified to be the Archivist. I don't believe that it was just because he was there.


End file.
